You are here

Overview

An asthma attack can be a terrifying experience. It can feel as if someone is sitting on your chest or there’s a cloud in your lungs. You struggle to draw in a full breath. Your chest tightens. Your breathing quickens.

It feels, as one asthma sufferer put it, “like you’re drowning in air.”

Asthma is an inflammation and obstruction of the bronchial tubes — the passages that allow air to enter and leave the lungs. During an asthma attack, the muscles that surround the bronchial tubes constrict, narrowing the air passages and making it extremely difficult to breathe. Other common symptoms are wheezing and a rattling sound in the chest.

The duration of an attack can vary, depending on what caused it and how long the airways have been inflamed. Mild episodes may last only a few minutes; more severe ones can last from hours to days. Mild attacks can resolve spontaneously or may require medication, typically a quick-acting inhaler. More severe asthma attacks can be shortened with appropriate treatment.

GET RELIEF

Find an allergist

Causes

An asthma attack can be triggered by exposure to an allergen, such as tree, grass or weed pollen, dust mites, cockroaches or animal dander. Other common triggers are irritants in the air, such as smoke or chemical fumes, and strong odors, such as perfume.

Warning signs of a potential asthma attack can include an increase in your need for rescue medication (especially albuterol), a worsening cough, shortness of breath (particularly if it wakes you up at night) and diminished tolerance for exercise.

Treatment

dealing with an acute attack. In general, it is important to stay calm and use the medications your allergist has prescribed.

Panic can prevent a person with asthma from relaxing and following instructions, which is essential during an attack. Scientists have found that rapid breathing associated with strong emotions, like panic, can cause bronchial tubes to constrict.

Seek immediate medical treatment if coughing or shortness of breath persists or seems to be worsening.

Triggers in Children

Some triggers particularly affect children with asthma and can make the inflammation in their lungs even worse. The common cold is one of the most frequent triggers for asthma attacks in very young children. Others include:

Smoke

Exposure to allergens (such as animal dander, dust mites or pollen)

Strong smells (perfumes or other odors)

Changes in weather; cold air

Running or playing hard

Crying or laughing

If your child has asthma, your allergist will help you discover the triggers that bring on or worsen the symptoms. The first step to controlling symptoms is to stay away from whatever makes your child cough or wheeze.